Church of St. Paolo

The church of St. Paolo is in a small square bordered by Via dell’Apollonion, in the district of fishermen, the Graziella, of which it is the parish.  The church was built on the former Christian basilica that together with St. Pietro, St. Giovannello and the Holy Spirit, belongs to the oldest religious buildings of Ortigia.

The present building dates back to the seventeenth century and it is situated on a vertical drop that borders the large area of the Temple of Apollo. The church is sober and on the gable is the inscription in memory of St. Paul’s brief stay in Siracusa: “HIC OLIM SYRACUSIS TRIDUO MANENTIS”. A colored glass rose window depicts the effigy of the saint.

Text taken from “Religious architecture in Ortigia” Lucia Acerra, EDIPRINT, 1995.